Keeseville, the focus of one of our community revitalization projects, is currently undergoing something of a transformation. Both the Farmacy project and the annual AdkAction Keeseville Plein Air Festival play a vital role in the community’s ongoing revitalization efforts.
Like so many events planned for 2020, the Keeseville Plein Air Festival was cancelled due to COVID-19. In past years, the weeklong festival helps both visitors and community members see the place anew, as interpreted by talented artists. Keeseville’s historic architecture, rolling hills and charming farms, waterfalls, chasms, and lake shores have all been painted during Keeseville Plein Air, now an indispensable summer arts event and point of pride in the hamlet.
In lieu of this year’s live festival, we are revisiting some of the stunning artwork created during the first three years of the event, and have collected high-resolution photos of selected works for a book. The digital version of the book is freely available here, and we’ll be releasing a print copy available for purchase in the coming weeks. You can sign up here to receive an alert when print copies are available.
At the next Keeseville Plein Air Festival, artists will have new views to paint, thanks to two revitalization projects happening in the hamlet right now:
On the northwest side of the Ausable River, Adirondack Architectural Heritage (AARCH) and the Town of Ausable are demolishing a dilapidated addition to the historic Stone Mill. The space will become a waterfront park that will open up greenspace on the river, allowing everyone to enjoy its natural beauty and creating a walkable circuit through the hamlet.
On the southeast side of the river, the long-vacant grocery store which spurred AdkAction’s Farmacy Project in 2017 has been demolished and a branch of Peru Federal Credit Union is being erected in its place. We look forward to watching the progress of these projects that will bring significant benefits to residents and visitors and help increase foot traffic in the historic downtown area which has undeniable beauty and potential.
